Party Poker New Jersey – Review and Fact Sheet

PartyPoker NJ marks the return of PartyPoker to the United States online gambling market after an absence of some seven years following the passage of the UIGEA. The site shares an identical player pool with Atlantic City partner Borgata. You can read our review of Borgata’s online poker room here (the two rooms offer separate promotions and bonuses).

The room is licensed and regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. It offers both poker and casino games to players located within the state of New Jersey.

New player bonuses at Party NJ

$25 Free: New players to PartyPoker NJ get a $25 no deposit bonus at Party. That breaks down to $15 for poker and $10 for casino play. Read more or sign up.

Other promotions

Loyalty Program: The Party Poker NJ loyalty program is a tiered VIP program with four levels. The more you rake or play in the casino, the higher your level. The program changed in October 2015 to Loyalty 2.0. Players may now earn up to 20% in cash back or 30% when converting points into tournament tickets.

Cash Games

According to PokerScout.com figures, cash game averages on the network are at 64 and trending slightly downward. That figure equates to just a 23 percent market share in an industry where the average operator accounts for 33 percent of liquidity.

As a result of the falling traffic, players now have very few viable playing options. At last check, approximately 25 of the 30 cash game tables running at prime-time weekday hours were of the hold’em variety, with the remainder PLO games.

On a positive note, Party/Borgata does host more mid-to-high stakes games ($0.50/$1.00 – $10/$20) than WSOP/888. But from my observances, it’s also one of the more reg-infested networks.

As far as full ring games, players will find one or two here and there, but WSOP/888 remains a better option for new players wishing to acclimate in the lower risk full-ring environment.

Sit & Go

The traditional sit & go format has been made virtually obsolete by Spin & Go’s. As of early 2016, Party/Borgata players could expect to find at least 25 games running during peak hours. That number is down to roughly ten.

Popular stakes vary from $1 – $25. Approximately 80 percent of sit & go’s are no-limit hold’em tables, the rest are PLO. There used to be a few O8 games running, but they don’t even appear to be listed in the sng lobby anymore.

Multi-table tournaments

Here’s where Party/Borgata does slightly better, although it no longer shines.

After two resounding failures, the third and fourth iterations of the Garden State Super Series appeared to turned the ship around. In particular, the $1 mm guaranteed GSSS IV was a rousing success. Sixty of its 62 tournaments met their guarantees and the aggressive $150,000 GTD Main Event just missed the mark.

Then came last October’s GSSS V, an ambitious series that was designed to go toe-to-toe with the inaugural NJCOOP on PokerStars.

Suffice it to say, it didn’t stand a chance. The series produced mass overlays before succumbing to widespread geo-location issues during its Main Event weekend, resulting in a number of prestigious events being canceled.

As a result, the March 2017 GSSS Spring ’17 (GSSS VI) was a much smaller affair, guaranteeing just $265k across 11 events, as opposed to the $1 million+ series’ that predated it.

Turning to the daily major schedule, the outlook is more favorable.

The network has tweaked and re-tweaked its schedule to the point where it has finally found favor with players. It may not be as diversified or expansive as PokerStars’ schedule, but there are enough formats and buy-in levels to appease most.

That said, some of the network’s daily tournaments have struggled recently to meet their guarantees, particularly the smaller daily Majors.

The largest weekday ($109 buy-in, $10,000 Gtd.) and weekend ($215 buy-in, $40,000 Gtd.) tournaments still manage to make the grade. Although it’s worth noting that the guarantee for the network’s biggest weekly event was recently dropped from $50,000 to $40,000.

Grade: (last review grade in parenthesis) D (C-)

Value: Nothing extraordinary

In some ways both PartyPoker and Borgata have scaled back their promotional spend. In a few select areas they’ve gotten a tad more aggressive.

Welcome packages/promotions

The welcome package offered by Borgata is quite good. It’s even slightly better than what’s found on PokerStars.

New players on Borgata Poker will receive $10 cash and a $10 poker bonus just for registering. The $10 cash is not immediately eligible for withdrawal, but releases after earning just 1 iReward Point ($0.50 in paid rake/entry fees). As for the poker bonus, it releases at a 50 percent rakeback rate.

First depositors get a 100% match up to $600. This same deal can be found on Stars. Also identical is the rakeback rate of 50 percent.

Funds release in 10 percent increments and players have 45 days to clear the bonus.

PartyPoker has killed its first time deposit bonus, which used to award a 100% match up to $1,000. However, new registrants will still receive $25 in free funds, distributed as follows:

$10 poker bonus

$10 casino bonus

$5 tournament dollars

Worth noting is that players can take advantage of both no deposit bonuses.

As disappointing as the loss of Party’s first time deposit match is, it has rolled out a monthly rakeback race. Monthly Marathon awards up to 18% in additional rakeback to high volume grinders.

Both network skins will occasionally throw spot bonuses at players, but the monetary value is usually capped pretty low, with casino players getting the more lucrative offers.

Rake

The rake on Party/Borgata tends toward the high side, so much so that I’d say the microstakes and low-limit games are nearly unbeatable.

Rake percentage for no limit and pot limit games is set at 5.56 percent, same as it is on WSOP/888. However, the rake cap on Party/Borgata is significantly higher at $0.10/$0.20 and $0.25/$0.50. That’s a major problem, considering $0.25/$0.50 is the most commonly played stake in New Jersey.

Not to mention, PokerStars takes just 5 percent from each pot (for most stakes). It also caps lower limit games at a more player-friendly rate.

At the highest stakes that run on Party/Borgata ($10/$20), the full ring cap is set at $4.50. By comparison, the $5/$10 cap on PokerStars is $3. Games at the highest levels do not run on WSOP/888.

Conclusion

Unless the games on Party/Borgata are softer than on other NJ sites (a rare scenario), players are advised to take their cash game play elsewhere. The only other exception might be if they have a bonus pending.

VIP Club

Here’s the good news about the Borgata’s VIP loyalty club: reaching the lower-to-mid tiers is a relatively easy task. Otherwise, there isn’t too much to get excited about.

Players earn iRewards Points at a rate of 2 iRPs per $1 paid in rake/fees, and progress up the loyalty ranks at follows:

Red Label: baseline loyalty tier

Red Label Plus: 150 iRPs

Silver Label: 650 iRPs

Black Label: 2,500 iRPs

Black Label Elite: 15,000 iRPs

The first four tiers are monthly, with Black Label Elite being the sole quarterly tier. Once earned, players can then redeem their points for tournament dollars, poker bonuses, or cashback at progressively abysmal rates.

Tournament rakeback ranges from 6.7 to 20 percent, tier dependent. Cashback rates are far worse, ranging from a paltry 1 percent at the baseline level to a less than impressive 5.3 percent at Black Label Elite. This is far and away the worst top-tier cashback rate in New Jersey.

PartyPoker does a better job, offering up to 6.7 rakeback on tournament ticket exchanges as an entry point, and 30.7 percent at the top loyalty tier (Palladium).

Also worth noting is that Palladium status can be achieved by generating just $1,000 in rake/fees monthly. This compares to an average of $2,500 monthly for Black Label Elite on Borgata.

The edge here goes to PartyPoker, but overall, neither site offers tremendous value to its long-time players.

Grade: Party C (C+) Borgata C- (C-)

Software: Ranges from adequate to disastrous

Compared to the nearly unplayable state the Party/Borgata platform was in three years ago, the latest version is a welcome change. Yet stacked up against the competition, the aesthetically pleasing client is still too slow, feature-lite, and bug-infested to avidly recommend.

Interface and performance

The Party/Borgata client bears a close resemblance to the one offered by PartyPoker abroad.

The client features the same tabular design that has become the industry norm. Lobbies are separated by tabs and you can sort and filter each individual lobby. For instance, tournaments can be filtered by type (regular, qualifier, major etc.), format and game variant, and sorted by time, buy-in and day.

It’s not a particularly innovative system, but if it ain’t broke….

Notable improvements

There are notable improvements to the cash game lobby. It now allows for both a grouped and individual table view. My assumption is that the grouped view finds preference with players looking to get involved quickly, as it compartmentalizes the entire lobby into just a few dozen rows. The individual view is the preferred choice of grinders, since it allows them to view pertinent table stats such as player names, stack sizes, and seating arrangements before taking a seat.

Speaking of which, players won’t have to first open a table before sitting down. This quick access functionality resembles that found on Stars, and is a nice touch.

Wait list functionality exists, but doesn’t work the way one would expect. Instead of joining the wait list for a specific table, players can only join by game type and stake. On one hand, this feels rather restrictive. On the other, I can see it reducing the prevalence of bumhunting. This is a predatory practice where professional players actively seek out weak competition.

The ability to set miscellaneous table preferences, such as preferred number of players is another nice perk.

Playing at the tables is a decent enough experience. A number of features exist that allow for customization, although most are shallow compared to what’s found on PokerStars. Gameplay runs smoothly most of the time, and table aesthetics are easy enough on the eye, if not a tad bit antiquated.

Some complaints:

The challenge aspects of PartyPoker’s new platform (achievements, missions) were never properly utilized. Outside of bragging rights, there is no real reason to partake.

The friends list, notification feed, and messaging systems are a disaster and better off removed from the interface. I’ve never heard of anyone on the “People you may know” list.

It feels like the software was never truly optimized. Individual tabs are slow to load, and it can take a good 15 seconds to login. Table lag is still a minor issue at times.

These days, it seems that just about everything triggers a security alert. From logging in from a different location to withdrawing funds, players are but one pseudo-suspicious click away from setting off alarm bells, often resulting in an unnecessary inconvenience.

And then of course are the problems the network incurs when there’s significant server load, like during the Main Event of a major series. More often than not, the servers simply cannot keep up, resulting in the cancellation of major events. The strange thing is that even the busiest day on Party/Borgata in NJ sees a fraction of the traffic on Party’s dot-com servers. Why is this an issue?

Account management

When it comes to account management, Party/Borgata does a serviceable job.

Listed below are some of the more pertinent features:

View/edit player details and contact information

Set security questions and enable/disable strong authentication

Account verification

Responsible gaming functions

View gaming transactions by selected date range

Quick access to the cashier, promotions and loyalty points store

Cashiering

High limits, varied options and quick turnaround times, the Party/Borgata cashier is almost as good as it gets. Available deposit options include:

Instant eChecks

Online banking transfers

MasterCard/Visa credit/debit card

Borgata/Party prepaid card

Neteller

Skrill

7-Eleven PayWithCash

Cash at the Borgata casino cage

Maximum deposits generally range from $500 at the low end (PayNearMe) to $2,000 for Instant eChecks and up to $10,000 on credit card transactions. Digital transactions are processed immediately, and there is typically no pending period where a player must wait for deposits to clear before requesting a payout.

Speaking of payouts, the vast majority of deposit methods are also available for withdrawals. The main difference is that funds cannot be withdrawn to MasterCard/Visa or via online banking transfers. Players can also request a physical check, although it will take around 7-10 business days to reach your mailbox. Turnaround times for other withdrawal methods hover in the 2-3 day area.

The one notable exclusion from the cashier is PayPal. The widely popular and trusted e-wallet has already been instituted on WSOP.com and should be integrated into the PokerStars NJ client eventually. Party/Borgata’s failure to keep up with the times may hurt its traffic long-term, although probably not too much.

Grade: C+ (B-)

Customer service: Moving from bad to laughably bad

Players that feel like they deserve to be punished are well-advised to contact Party/Borgata’s customer service team. That’s an exaggeration, but not a major one.

For what it’s worth, the Party Rep on the Two plus Two forums does respond rather frequently. Unfortunately, 90% of those responses are “We’re looking into [issue x], there is currently no timeline no a resolution. Will let you know.”

At least the number of new forum threads in Party’s dedicated NJ forum are way down of late, which is most likely a reflection of its failing traffic. The only time it really gets active, is when an update (usually bug-ridden) is released.

As for the rest of Party/Borgata’s support team, they’re still riding the line between awful and mediocre, but tending toward the former. The network features live chat, email and phone support, all of which have their issues.

The live chat interface is atrocious, and the agents often no better. They fixed the wait time issue, as connecting with an agent usually only takes a minute or two. However, agents are utterly incapable of answering anything but the most baseline questions, and even then, players can expect to wait 5 – 15 minutes between responses.

They’re also quick to tell players that their issues will be resolved within 24-48 hours, and then a week goes by and nothing is resolved. It’s woeful.

Phone support is marginally better, even if you’re left hanging on the line while they escalate the issue. Email support varies, with responses taking anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Overall, dealing with support is pretty unbearable. Seek theforums or better yet, other players, for consul.

Grade: a generous D- (D)

Overall: Hope is on the horizon, and not a minute too soon

There’s a sense that Party/Borgata is in maintenancemode, content to cruise along despite its flawed product.

The problem is that with PokerStars in the picture, that’s simply not good enough. Traffic has been falling consistently for the past year, and incentives to partake in tournament series’ has dropped.

Should network traffic on Party/Borgata fall below a critical point, it may just dry up completely.

There is hope, however. For one, new owner GVC Holdings has taken an aggressive approach to revamping PartyPoker’s dot-com site, evidenced by the rehiring of Mike Sexton as PartyPoker Chairman, and a total rework of its loyalty system.

Given this, it’s plausible that big changes will also be implemented on Party’s regional sites.

Secondly, playMGM will be joining the network (presumably) in 2017. MGM Resorts brings a ton of brandrecognition to the table, and will likely incentivize players via its welcome package and cross-integration with M life — it’s vaulted loyalty scheme.

Lately, New York and Pennsylvania could go live with online poker by 2018, and possible even forge an interstate compact with NJ. A presence in more states automatically boosts the brand’s stock.

But even if all of these prospects come to fruition, the network faces an uphill battle.

Grade: C- (C)

Party Poker NJ REview

Traffic

Value

Software

Support

Summary

If Party sticks around, PokerStars is quickly siphoning away cash game traffic from other operators. Should network traffic on Party/Borgata fall below a critical point, it may just dry up completely.

That being said, the Party/Borgata platform of today is light years ahead of its early 2014 version, offering a fundamental, if not flashy, playing environment and hands-down the best tournament series in NJ.

2.9

PartyPoker NJ – Frequently Asked Questions

Who can play at Party Poker’s New Jersey site?

The site only accepts players located in New Jersey.

You do not have to be a resident of New Jersey to play. You simply have to physically be within the state’s borders in order to play at PartyPoker NJ.

Will I be playing against players on the main PartyPoker site?

No. You’ll only be playing against other players located in New Jersey who are on the PartyPoker NJ network.

The international PartyPoker site will be a completely separate player pool, and will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future.

What about BorgataPoker.com? Is that the same thing as PartyPoker NJ?

Yes and no. The two sites share the same software and the same player pool, but have different promotions and bonuses. You also need a separate account for each site – your PartyPoker login won’t work at Borgata and vice-versa.

The easiest way to think of it is as two doors into the same poker room.

Do I have to be in New Jersey to make an account at Party NJ?

No. You should be able to make an account from anywhere in the United States.

However, you will not be able to wager real-money on games, or make deposits unless PartyPoker’s geo-location software can verify that you are physically within the state of New Jersey. Withdrawals, on the other hand, can be made from anywhere in the nation.

Read past reviews of PartyPoker NJ

Traffic: Pedestrian at best

Long gone are the glory days when Party/Borgata regularly averaged 200 or more cash game players. For most of 2015, between 110-130 has been the norm.

However, of late, cash game traffic has picked up. If this positive trend continues it seems plausible that the network will average at least 160 cash game players come January.

Party/Borgata controls approximately 42% of the cash game market, with rival network WSOP/888 accounting for the rest.

According to Poker Industry Pro via PokerScout.com the network currently averages 143 cash game players. That’s 15% more than it did in early August, when liquidity is typically at its seasonal low. During an equivalent span, global liquidity has grown by 7%.

Peak weekday traffic usually hovers between 280-300 players, occasionally spiking to as high as 360. Weekend peaks are slightly lower; topping out at around 290.

The recently concluded GSSS III registered some of the biggest turnouts the network has experienced in some time. Regularly scheduled majors have also seen increased entries, although that’s mostly a byproduct of the network converting some of its freezeouts to re-entries.

Cash Games

The network’s cash game lobby isn’t exactly bustling with activity, nor is the game selection anything to write home about. On a typical weeknight during prime time hours, players can expect to find around 40-45 concurrent ring games running, most of them 6-Max NLHE games.

Stakes run the gamut from $.01/$.02 to $10/$20, with the most common stakes being $.10/$.25 and $.25/$.50. One good thing about Party/Borgata is that higher stakes games ($1/$2 and up) get off with a much higher frequency than they do on WSOP/888. The bad news is that most mid-to-high stakes seats get filled by regulars.

Omaha games, which used to comprise a significant portion of network liquidity, now only run infrequently. Despite a listing in the lobby, Fixed Limit and 7-Stud games no longer run, or at least not to my knowledge.

Tournaments

Special series aside, most weekday majors attract between 30 and 150 players. Major guarantees start at $500 and run all the way up to $50,000, although only one regularly scheduled tournament has a guarantee larger than $10,000.

It’s worth noting that the network’s two biggest daily majors—a $5k and a $10k guarantee—do reach their minimum benchmarks far more frequently than they did a few months back, but that’s mainly because they are now re-entry tournaments.

When Party/Borgata does host a one-off series (which typically happens about four times a year), turnout numbers skyrocket. To wit, the Main Event of the GSSS III ($150,000 guaranteed NLHE) saw 764 unique entries, and created a prize pool of $152,800. A significant number of other GSSS events brought together between 200-300 unique players.

Daytime and midnight shift grinders will be particularly disappointed by Party/Borgata’s MTT schedule. The biggest guarantee during off-peak hours is a paltry $500.

Value/Promotions: Where have all the promos gone?

Party/Borgata have really scaled back their promotional spend in the past year.

Borgata offers three recurrent promos, “The Grind,” a “Tournament Leaderboard,” and a $600 first deposit bonus. All of these promos encourage high-volume play. The skin also hosts a Pick the Pros Online Challenge, but it has absolutely nothing to do with poker.

That’s more than PartyPoker can say. Outside of a $1,000 first deposit match bonus, the promotional page is a barren wasteland of inactivity.

During a time when most networks have begun crafting promotions that reward casual players, Party/Borgata has done nothing of the sort. A paradigm shift is in order, and soon, as the value of the average casual player is higher in a smaller market than it is elsewhere.

Speaking of which, give PartyPoker credit for making one casual player-friendly change, and that’s to its VIP rewards program. Now, achieving second-tier (Silver) status only requires $25 paid per month in rake and entry fees (as opposed to $125 previously). To offset the cost, higher tier point requirements have gone up, with the sole quarterly tier (Palladium Elite) eliminated altogether.

Rakeback rates have also improved, although in this instance casual players are left mostly out in the cold. Gold and Palladium members can exchange points for cash at a 20% rate, or for tournament tickets at as high as a respectable 30.6% rate.

The best Silver members will receive is approximately 14%; Bronze exchange rates are under 7%. Sorry, casual players.

As an aside, I found it odd that Bronze and Palladium members receive the same exchange rate for some tournament tickets, and not for others.

Grade: Party C- (B+), Borgata C+ (B)

Software: Baby steps in the right direction

Party/Borgata’s online poker client has evolved more in the past several months than the 18 months prior.

Granted, that’s not saying much, as the software was arguably in a worse state at the one year marker than it was at launch. But we give the operator credit for at least trying to implement a few player “wish list” features.

The most immediately recognizable change is the long sought addition of cash game wait lists. A new “My Waitlist” icon lives in the cash game lobby, although it can be a bit difficult to find if you’re not actively looking for it. (Hint: it’s in the bottom right hand corner.)

Now, players can set up their wait list preferences the software will notify them when a seat is available.

Worth noting is that players on the wait cannot request a specific table. This is presumably a measure against a practice known as “bumhunting.” In my estimation, this is a smart approach that will resonate with casual players.

It is assumed that there will eventually be an update to wait list functionality so that players will be randomly seated when a seat of their preference opens up. Also, players will not be able to see the names of their opponents until after the first hand is dealt, as these are measures currently being implemented on PartyPoker’s dot-com site

Moving on, the Points Store has also received a fresh coat of paint, and is now much easier to navigate. Furthermore, the Tournament tickets lobby has been cleaned up.

Unfortunately, that’s about where the major front-end improvements end. The good news is that it looks like Party/Borgata has implemented significant upgrades on the server side.

Recent Upgrades

Although it’s difficult to pinpoint the magnitude and frequency of the upgrades, I did notice that the prevalence of reported geolocation and player connectivity errors on the operator’s dedicated Two Plus Two forum is down.

Additionally, the last two major tournament series the operator has hosted (the NJCOP II and the GSSS III) ran relatively smoothly. Compare this to prior iterations of the GSSS, which were plagued by widespread disconnects and cancellations.

Response times, both at startup and while seated at the table, are nominally improved.

On the mobile front, Party/Borgata offers a solid product that boasts much of the functionality of its desktop application. My biggest complaint is that game filters are a bit unwieldy and default to odd settings.

Party’s software won’t get my stamp of approval until it addresses the numerous software glitches and small bugs that inundate the site, but at least now I have faith that PokerStars won’t always be the only strong online poker product in NJ.

Grade: C+ (C-)

Customer service: Forum representation continues to improve

I may be in the minority, but I feel as though Party Representative Colette is doing a commendable job recognizing and answering player inquiries.

Just a few months ago, the best response a player could hope to squeeze out of her seemed to be “Thank you for your inquiry. Will send feedback to the proper team.” These days, she’s actually coming back with real answers.

Granted, her responses might not always be entirely right, but at least a conversation is taking place.

As for the network’s support team, well they haven’t gotten any worse. Live chat and email response times are still on the longer side, and representatives have a tendency to provide ambiguous, or even worse, factually incorrect answers.

I’ve yet to have a customer service interaction where the agent didn’t step away to check for or verify an answer, and that’s just reflects poorly on the operator.

My advice to Party/Borgata: a little training will go a long way.

Grade: C- (D)

Overall: Where’s the sense of urgency?

Party/Borgata has taken a rather sedentary approach to its NJ online poker product.

When the operator does run promotions, they’re typically rehashes of previous ideas or offer little in the way of player value.

Software updates, while more plentiful, are still too few and far between.

The operator has yet to adequately train its customer service agents.

A lazy approach might work for a little while in a booming market, but NJ online poker has been in a near habitual state of decline for nearly two years.

Something has to give, or this year’s seasonal trend line will more closely resemble a hill than a mountain.

What that something is, that’s for the operator to determine, although marketing to and rewarding casual players is as good as start as any.

In either case, it’s imperative that Party/Borgata go on more of an offensive, if only so it’s not completely forgotten when PokerStars launches in the Garden State.

Grade: C (C)

Party Poker New Jersey Fact Sheet

PartyPoker NJ Software

PartyPoker NJ uses the same core software as the global PartyPoker product.

American players who recall the software from the last time they were able to access it will be in for something of a surprise, as the software recently received a complete overhaul.

In terms of the different ways to access the room, players can choose from:

Browser-based client: Requires Java to run. Offers access to same lineup of games but slightly fewer features than downloadable client.

Mobile: NJ.PartyPoker.com is available for iPhones and iPads and any other iOS platform 4.3 or later. Android is also supported, visit Party NJ on your Android device to download.

Network partners

PartyPoker has partnered with Borgata to offer online poker and online casino games in New Jersey.

As a result, The Borgata utilizes the PartyPoker platform to offer online poker and feeds players into a pool shared with PartyPoker. Players who sign up at BorgataPoker.com will see the same games and opponents as players at PartyPoker, although the promotions offered by each site do differ.

Games available

Stakes on PartyPoker NJ generally range from $0.02/$0.04 all the way up to $10/$20.

June 2015 review

The PartyPoker NJ network is comprised of nj.partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com. Both skins utilize PartyPoker’s updated poker platform and share liquidity across all game formats, with only their promotional schedules varying from one another.

Traffic: Seasonal decline outpacing global market

According to PokerScout.com, Party/Borgata is currently averaging approximately 125 cash game players, marking a 26% decline over the past two months.

On weekdays, players can expect to find anywhere from 300 – 375 ring game seats filled during prime time hours. This numbers dips into the 200’s on weekends.

The network’s rate of decline has exceeded that of the global market by a significant margin since March 1 – 23% vs. 16%. However, don;t place too much stock in this statistic, as ring-fenced markets tend to be more volatile than the global industry.

Also since March 1st, Party/Borgata has outperformed sole competitor WSOP/888 by the slightest of margins.

Cash Games

Traffic on Party/Borgata trended up throughout most of February, but by March, the network was mired in a torrential downswing. It only managed to recover a crumb of its lost traffic in April. This slight upward trend has continued into May.

Although the network can no longer boast the most cash game players, it still claims the majority of the state’s mid-to-high stakes grinders. This is partially a byproduct of WSOP/888 only sharing liquidity across low stakes cash games, but also a testament to the high concentration of professional and semi-professional players on the site.

On weekday nights, players can expect to find 40 – 50 concurrent ring games running, the majority of which are 6-max NLHE games. Stakes run the gamut from $.01/$.02, with the highest prevalence occurring at $.50/$1 and $1/$2. There are usually at least a few $2/$4 and higher games running, and at least a smattering of full ring and Omaha games.

Tournaments

Sit & Gos were the sole game format that survived the seasonal downtrend unscathed, largely due to the reintroduction of the Sit & Go 6-Max Leaderboards and cutbacks to WSOP’s version of the same.

That’s not to say the format is thriving, but the number of concurrent games running at peak hours now (20-25) is only slightly less than it was in March, when overall player liquidity was much higher.

Tournament liquidity is a different story. The site’s biggest weekday Major, a $10,000 GTD is frequently falling short of its guarantee, and due to its minimum player requirement and early starting time (which was finally amended the week of 5/17), has been cancelled on multiple occasions.

The nightly $5k GTD is also failing to reach its minimum benchmark from time to time. Both tournaments require slightly more than 100 entrants to exceed the guarantee.

It gets worse. Sunday’s $50k GTD – the one high buy-in tournament that appeared to have no trouble beating its guarantee – has posted overlays of $420, $8,190 and $1,715 the past three weeks. Although the middle instance can be attributed to Mother’s Day, there is still cause for concern.

Downright alarming is the fact that the recently concluded NJCOP II saw 77% of its 35 events feature an overlay, with the $150,000 Main Event coming up $28k short. Granted, the schedule was on the ambitious side, but I’m guessing Party/Borgata will be reluctant to eat another loss of this magnitude anytime soon.

Still, partial credit must be given to Party/Borgata for running a smooth series (it hasn’t happened in a while), and allowances afforded, as the spring and early-summer are typically the worst times for online poker.

Grade: (last review grade in parenthesis) C (C+)

Value/promotions: Party excels on cash game front, Borgata better for touranment grinders

For the first time in a while, both PartyPoker and Borgata have put together appealing promotional packages; Party for cash game players and Borgata for those who preference MTTs.

First up, Party.

In each of the past three months, the skin has offered some sort of bonus to cash game players, be it in the form of a cash award for consistent play or increased loyalty point earnings.

These aren’t just gimmicky novelty promos either. Promos like Triple Point Tuesday & Thursday Happy Hour have some real value – enough to push rakeback conversion rates up to 30% during those two days of the week.

Borgata’s Tournament Leaderboard promotion is no slouch either. While I might have liked to see players receive more control over their prize, there’s little denying the value in a leaderboard promo that gives away nearly $8,000 per month in cash and prizes to the top tournament performers.

There’s also the Sit & Go 6-Max Leaderboard promotion, which the two rooms run in parallel. This semi-recurrent promo is awarding $10,000 in tournament dollars in May, spread out across two buy-in tiers and four weeks.

Whether or not the network will decide to keep the SNG promotion going into June and beyond is unknown, as it’s difficult to envision it generating enough new traffic to justify the cost. So my advice is to capitalize on it while you still can.

Other noteworthy promos:

Welcome bonuses: 100% match up to $1,000 on Party (industry best), 100% up to $600 on Borgata.

Reload bonuses: These will prop up from time to time. The most recent was on Borgata (100% match up to $300).

Spot and mailer bonuses: Players should check their email and rewards page for special offers.

As mentioned previously, tournament volume has been way down of late, with online poker’s seasonal cycle the most likely culprit. That’s bad news for the network, and fantastic news for overlay hunters.

Granted, it also means that for the time being tournament prize pools are capped, but that’s a small prize to pay.

Much improved all around.

Grade: Party B+ (C+), Borgata B (C)

Software: Long-standing issues still prevalent

I wonder if Party representative Colette feels a twinge of emotional despair every time she has to type out something like: “Thanks for your feedback and sorry for the delay. Your concerns are being forwarded to the appropriate team for review,” because it happens at a shameful clip (there’s three instances in this 2+2 thread alone).

Which wouldn’t be so bad if there was reason to believe change was on the horizon, but the overwhelmingly majority of top player concerns remain unaddressed.

The network did listen to players regarding a time change to the nightly $10k and $5k guarantees. Also, the NJCOP II went off without a hitch, and there appears to be fewer connectivity issues. It’s at least plausible that some server and other behind the scenes upgrades were implemented.

There have been improvements in the payment processing arena as well, as 7-Eleven Pay Near Me was recently added as a “no fee” depositing option.

Furthermore, the previously limited mobile poker app is now one step short of excellent, and has moved ahead of WSOP / 888’s mobile offering for NJ’s top spot.

Now if only the desktop client underwent half the number of quality of life upgrades.

Grade: C- (D-)

Customer service: Better forum support, same underwhelming CS team

2+2 and PocketFives Party Rep Colette does an admirable job sifting out critical threads and responding to pressing concerns in a timely fashion.

Problem is, most of the information she provides isn’t very useful. And while it’s hardly her fault that most forwarded concerns are (seemingly) brushed under the rug, one gets the feeling that her poker IQ isn’t very high.

As for the customer service team, they were an abomination on Day One, and they’re an abomination today.

Support can be contacted by one of three means: email, live chat or telephone. Whatever the contact vehicle, the result is the same – excruciatingly long wait times and more questions than answers.

Email response times average anywhere between 24 hours and 10 days, and even simple inquiries are often misunderstood or left unanswered.

Live chat isn’t much better. The live chat interface is horribly antiquated, actual wait times are commonly 10 times longer than stated in the queue, and the representatives don’t have offhand knowledge of current promotions, let alone more in-depth aspects of the operation’s everyday business. Misspelling and poor grammar choices are the norm.

Phone support is the least of three evils, if only because you can sometimes have your inquiry escalated to someone who knows what’s going on.

Maybe it’s just naivete on my part, but isn’t one of the benefits of state regulation supposed to be that it creates jobs? And if that’s the case, doesn’t it set a poor precedent by hiring customer service agents that reside in Bulgaria instead of the Garden State?

Grade: D (D+)

Overall: Liquidity withstanding, Party / Borgata inches in right direction

I’m curious to see how Party / Borgata will respond to the seasonal downtrend of 2015.

In H2 2014, the network only recovered a portion of its lost traffic. A stronger rebound will be necessary if the network hopes to withstand the PokerStars juggernaut.

From a relativistic standpoint, there aren’t too many negative things to say. The software is better, representation improved, and there’s increased value to be had by playing on the site.

However, outside of the promotions and maybe the mobile product, there isn’t a single aspect of the operation that is much improved. And that’s a problem when you’re conceded the cash game market share lead.

In short, players won’t be satisfied until the changes come at a faster pace, and until they feel that support/management understands, empathizes with and wants to help them.

Grade: C (C-)

February 2015 review of Party / Borgata

Traffic: Party NJ no longer NJ’s top dog

Party/Borgata losing its first place status to WSOP/888 is more a consequence of the latter agreeing to share partial liquidity than any other one factor.

Regardless, it’s difficult to ignore that WSOP/888’s cash game lobby is suddenly more active than Party’s.

A few statistics:

According to Poker Industry PRO via PokerScout, average network cash game traffic is currently hovering around 165 players – up 5% in two months. Peak liquidity struggles to eclipse the 400 threshold.

Compared to the global industry, which exhibited 9% gains since late-November, the network is performing poorly.

The network’s cash game market share has dropped to from 43.6% to approximately 40% since November.

Party/Borgata’s Sit & Gos have illustrated stronger growth patterns than its cash games and MTTs.

Cash Games

After a sizable traffic surge in mid-November, cash game liquidity on Party/Borgata has continued to trend upwards, albeit at a much slower pace.

During peak weekday hours, players can expect to find anywhere between 50 – 60 ring games running, of which approximately 90% are of the NLHE variety. Stakes run the gamut between $.01/$.02 and $10/$25, with a micro-to-low vs. mid-to-high stakes player ratio of approximately 2:1.

Compared to NJ’s other regulated sites, Party/Borgata hosts a higher frequency of high stakes and heads-up cash games.

Tournaments

Despite only just reintroducing a Sit and Go Leader Board, Party/Borgata’s SNG traffic is on the upswing.

These days it isn’t uncommon to find 20 – 30 concurrent SNGs running, especially during prime time and on weekends. That’s still a far cry from the 50+ the network was running during peak hours last winter, but a 30 – 40% improvement over two months ago.

As for MTTs, Party’s revamped tournament schedule hasn’t exactly precipitated a surge in tournament traffic. Generally speaking, the nightly $10,000 and $5,000 GTDs either just barely scrape by their guarantees, or miss the mark altogether.

On the flip side, the network’s smaller guarantees draw stronger turnouts, although it would be nice to see more than a handful of low buy-in guaranteed tournaments running during off-peak hours.

Party/Borgata recently hosted its second $1,000,000 Garden State Super Series. Despite widespread player connectivity issues (more on that later), the 69 event tournament extravaganza fared reasonably well, with 11 out of the scheduled 23 high buy-in events meeting their aggressive guarantees, and most others coming within 10% of hitting the mark.

In particular, the alternatively themed Deepstack (Event #20) and Speed Down (Event #21) formats proved massive hits, in some instances smashing their guarantees by more than 40%.

Yet, during what is typically the strongest month of the calendar year for online poker, I expected more.

Grade: (last review grade in parenthesis) C+ (C+)

Value/promotions: Promotional schedules lack ingenuity, generosity

Last time around, I commented on how Party has shifted its promotional focus away from poker in favor of casino. That still remains the case, only now, the Borgata’s promotions appear to be transitioning away from poker as well.

This comes as a great surprise, as the majority of poker players on the Party NJ network preference playing on Borgata. One imagines that the site would want to do something to retain its recreational player base.

Nope.

Instead, the Borgata’s poker promotional page is a near barren wasteland, consisting of one recurrent rakeback promo and an Ultimate Entertainment Package promo that benefits exactly four players per month.

I did manage to muster up a few highlights of the network’s promotional scheme:

Both networks offer frequent Spot Bonuses. The average bonus of this nature offers a 50 – 100% match bonus up to $100.

Party offers the best Welcome Bonus in the industry: a 100% match up to $1,000.

Party players can exchange their player loyalty points for tournament tickets at a somewhat favorable rate (up to 20%)

With regards to tournament value, the network’s MTTs feature rather frequent overlays. However, the overlay amounts are typically small (10% or less of the guaranteed prize pools).

Going further, overlays are less abundant than they were in say October, when the industry was tanking. But with the projected entry of PokerStars in March and the seasonal downtrend that comes with warmer weather, I suspect that they’ll be more numerous than ever come spring.

My advice: hold on to those tournament tickets for now.

Grade: Party C+ (C), Borgata C (B)

Software: Technical failings cripple user experience

Although an upgrade designed to address the issue was deployed in mid-December, it appears to have done little to satiate the community. In fact, some are proclaiming that the problems are worse than ever. A second upgrade planned for January 5, then January 12, hasn’t happened.

Matters came to a head on January 25, when during the GSSS II Main Events, an high proportion of participants either experienced connectivity issues or the aforementioned MFC errors.

Although all three GSSS II Mains managed to find the finish line, the latest disaster is arguably even more impactful, as it placed certain players at an unfair advantage relative to the field.

Therefore, I cannot recommend utilizing Party/Borgata’s software under the following circumstances:

Whenever there is a significant server load (i.e. Sunday nights, during high profile tournament series).

If a player plans on multi-tabling beyond 2-3 tables.

Additional Issues

Beyond the mentioned issues, Party/Borgata’s software contains numerous miscellaneous bugs, many of which have persisted for one year or more. Broken links, strange pop-ups, lag, and a tediously slow startup process are only a few of the problems that must be addressed before Party/Borgata’s software can be deemed anywhere near complete.

What players are now left with is a sub-Beta version of a poker platform that has no business on the main stage.

The only reason I refrained from issuing the software a failing grade is because the network finally released a much needed update to its iOS and Android compatible mobile applications, and from what I’ve seen thus far, the upgrade does address most player wants, including the addition of tournament functionality.

But what took so long?

Grade: D- (D)

Customer service: CS model in need of serious repair

I sympathize with Party/Borgata’s customer service agents to the degree that they must deal with a wide variety of tricky issues.

However, there is no good excuse for taking a week or more to answer an email inquiry, especially when the information contained within the reply often has little material value.

Additionally, the network’s resolutions to its own careless oversights are community-dividing, at best.

Take a recent example:

According to the network’s tournament dollar policy, players that win more than one entry into the same tournament will have their extra entries swapped for tournament dollars (T$).

Instead, shortly after the series concluded, Party sent an email stating that unused GSSS II tickets were converted to limited-time use tournament tickets of equivalent value.

Assuming that all tickets were converted, and not just duplicates, this serves as an adequate, albeit cheap, apology to players whose GSSS experience was hampered by technological problems. However, it doesn’t negate the fact that the network did not clarify its stance regarding special event tickets before and during the GSSS.

Worse yet, are that players experiencing frequent disconnects and crashes are still often being told that the problem is on their end, or at best, offered a seemingly arbitrary and nominal refund for their troubles.

Admittedly, I give the network a modicum of credit for offering players some recourse, but this type of quick-fix solution isn’t going to cut it forever.

Grade: D+ (D-)

Overall: One step forward, two steps back

Party/Borgata has the potential to be NJ’s, and possibly the United States’, premier online poker operation. But for whatever reason, be it communication breakdowns, budgetary restrictions or because Party allocates its A+ team to its ROW operation, the network’s efforts have fallen way short.

Which is too bad, because with regards to value, traffic and payment processing Party/Borgata is performing reasonably well. But its frequent technical failings and wishy-washy approach to problem solving are impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately for Party/Borgata, exemplary customer service and a stable platform are the cornerstones of any successful online poker operation. It has neither.

Grade: C- (C)

November 2015 review of PartyPokerNJ

Traffic: Despite liquidity losses, Party NJ widens lead

First the good news:

According to data gathered at PokerFuse Pro via PokerScout, the network remains the most heavily traversed in New Jersey by a significant margin.

Since July, Party NJ has sustained below average liquidity losses relative to the industry at large.

Party NJ currently controls a 43.6% cash game market share, a 2.6% improvement over July.

On the other hand, Party/Borgata has sustained measurable losses across all game formats, particularly in the area of multi-table tournaments.

Cash Games

In the past 16 weeks, the network has dropped 11.9% of its cash game traffic, bringing its 7-day averages down to a paltry 126. Notably, a significant portion of these losses occurred in the past two weeks.

During peak weekday hours, players can expect to find anywhere between 40 – 50 ring games running, the vast majority of which are NLHE 6-Max games with stakes ranging from $.01 / $.02 – $5 / $10. PLO cash games run with less frequency than they do on WSOP.com, and O8, Fixed Limit and 7-Stud games are virtually nonexistent.

Compare this to last winter, when it wasn’t exceedingly uncommon to find 100 concurrent cash games running.

Tournaments

Sit & Go volume has also taken a material hit, shedding somewhere in the vicinity of 25% since July.

Granted, the latest liquidity losses probably have something to do with the absence of a November Sit & Go promotion. But to go from an an average of 50 Sit & Goes during peak hours last January to approximately 15 now—despite the introduction of lower entry fees and more formats—speaks volumes as to how unappealing the network’s offerings have become.

The situation on the tournament front is equally dire. Party’s flagship Sunday Major (a $50,000 Guarantee) which is occasionally replaced by a $100k, often features an overlay of 10% of more.

Nightly tournaments fare better, in part because there are so few worth playing. Case in point: between 8:30 pm and 10 pm, the network fails to spread a single featured tournament.

Based on its current promotional schedule, it at least appears that nj.partypoker.com has shifted its marketing focus away from online poker, instead targeting casino patrons.

Outside of a neutral welcome and registration bonus, Party offers little in the way of incentives for poker players. Even its various spot bonuses require casino, not poker, play to unlock.

Compare this to the situation over at BorgataPoker.com, where the site has settled into a habitual rhythm of offering exclusive freerolls and increased rakeback opportunities.

From a strategic standpoint, the network’s approach makes sense, as BorgataPoker.com has always been the preferred choice of the Garden State’s poker community. But that doesn’t negate the fact that unless you’re a new player or simply have to have New Jersey Devils tickets, there is little good reason to preference nj.partypoker.com over Borgata Poker.

Not that Borgata’s promotions are anything other than mediocre, but I’ll take mediocrity over nothing.

A few notes on rakeback:

Upon reaching Black Label Elite – Borgata’s highest loyalty tier – players can exchange their rewards points for cash bonuses at a rate of $.15 per $1 contributed in rake and entry fees. That falls way short of industry standards.

However, after factoring the additional rakeback generated by the site’s The Grind promo, even players who earn a relatively modest 2,000 iRPs a month get 11% extra rakeback.

The best nj.partypoker.com offers its Palladium Elite members is a $.10 per $1 conversion rate, which by all accounts, is a slap in the face.

But should players convert their points to tournament tickets, they’ll receive a more favorable rate.

On a somewhat brighter note, the industry’s falling traffic margins have had a noticeably positive effect on MTT value.

Back in February, tournament overlays on Party / Borgata were nonexistent. By June, they were sporadic. And now they’re utterly abundant – not quite Ultimate Poker (R.I.P) ala March abundant, but certainty enough that players with a keen eye for value have taken notice.

Should volume continue to plummet, it’s conceivable that the network will reduce the guarantees of one or more of its flagship tournaments.

Software: Longstanding unresolved issues

In preparation for September’s $1,000,000 Guaranteed Garden State Super Series, Party / Borgata rolled out a feature rich software update that addressed several key deficiencies and added a swatch of user-friendly in-game features.

It wasn’t a huge step, but it was a step, and for a moment I almost believed that the network would deliver a poker product that could compete with a stripped down version of PokerStars, or at least a second tier iPoker skin.

Suffice it to say, confidence in the network’s ability to handle any sort of significant server load was lost.

Compounding matters, is that since the crash – the cause of which was apparently dealt with in swift fashion – there have been an alarmingly high number of reports of disconnects and geo-location failures.

Smaller issues such as slow loading times, friends list and notification bugs, and broken links have yet to be addressed in any capacity. Not to mention, the community, including myself, have been asking Party / Borgata to institute cash game wait lists for the better part of six months, to no avail.

And the iOS and Android versions of Party / Borgata’s software still aren’t MTT ready.

If online poker in New Jersey launched say, three months ago, I could find room in my heart to overlook the fact that the network’s software comes across more as a late-stage Beta product than a polished release version.

But not after a year.

I simply expect more from a company that’s been in the iGaming business for eons, and still operates a top 10 ROW poker room.

Grade: D (C)

Customer Service: GSSS fiasco resolution lone bright spot

Within one day of the GSSS server crash, Group Poker Director for bwin.party Jeffrey Haas offered a thorough explanation of what happened, why it happened and what steps they would take to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. He went so far as to add $50,000 in prize money to the following weekend’s events.

It was a serviceable solution to an impossible problem, and for that Haas must be commended.

Otherwise, Party/Borgata’s customer service department is as miserable as its ever been.

They unanimously confirmed that getting a satisfactory answer out of a CS agent was an effort in futility.

Not only do the network’s representatives have little understanding of the game (one panelist mentioned that he had to explain to an agent what a “big blind” was), but they’re often unaware of recent policy changes.

One recent example:

In one of my numerous dealings with the team, I asked if TD Bank users could still use Online Banking Transfers to fund their online accounts.

After the typical twenty minute wait, in which they told me several times to hold on just a moment longer, I got a one-word answer, “Yes.”

No further explanation required, I suppose.

But at least I received an answer.

From those I’ve spoken to, email queries are rarely addressed. And Party’s representative on the Two Plus Two forums might as well have vanished into thin air, not that he/she offers anything beyond a simple acknowledgement and a “we’re looking into it,” anyhow.

I am sincerely tempted to allocate a grade of N/A for this section, as I’m not entirely convinced that Party / Borgata didn’t hire a prank call team to stand in for its customer service department.

Poor all around.

Grade: D- (D-)

Overall: Too many outstanding flaws, not enough improvement

Sans a few enhancements to the way the network handles money transactions and to its software, Party / Borgata failed to make the kind of headway one would expect after a year in a new market.

In some ways, it regressed.

Which wouldn’t be so bad if it had rolled out a strong platform and offered the same kind of customer service it did in the pre-UIGEA days. But, in a word, it didn’t.

What we’re left with is a poker room in dire need of at least 2-3 more software updates, and a network that seriously needs to reexamine the way it communicates with its player base.

Without timely and positive steps, I don’t think the network has much of a future in a post-PokerStars New Jersey.

Traffic: NJ Party Poker loses ground on pack

Relative to other sites, Party/Borgata has sustained above average losses.

According to PokerFuse Pro via PokerScout, the state’s most heavily trafficked network currently controls approximately 41 percent of all cash-game volume. That’s 2.6 percent less than it did in late-April.

In the past 10 weeks, traffic at NJ PartyPoker is down 21 percent, although the majority of those losses were incurred in early-to-mid May. Since, the network has slowly bled customers at a steady weekly clip.

Players should expect to find anywhere from 40 to 70 ring games running during peak weeknight hours. These are mostly of the NLHE 6-Max variety, although some low stakes PLO and O8 are usually offered. Stakes range from $0.01 / $0.02 up through $3 / $6 and occasionally $5 / $10.

Twelve weeks ago, when the network was still flourishing, I counted upwards of 110 – 120 tables running concurrently on a Monday night.

Despite a much lower VIG, better payout structure and additional formats (Double or Nothing, Hyper-Turbos, Coin Flip), SNG volume has taken a huge hit, down somewhere in the area of 50 percent since April.

The inclusion of Sit & Go leaderboards may help to revitalize interest, but for now, don’t expect to find more than 20 SNGs to be running at once.

Tournaments

Tournament turnouts have also plummeted, with the week’s biggest Major – the Sunday $50k – rarely fulfilling its minimum benchmark. The Daily $10k, $5k and $2k Re-buy haven’t fared much better, with turnouts usually in the area of 90 – 120 runners.

In lieu of this, it’s unlikely that we’ll see another $100k Guaranteed for at least the duration of the summer.

Yet, like its SNGs, Party/ orgata’s MTT schedule is stronger than it was three months ago.

At the time of this writing, the combination of Party and Borgata holds the slimmest of leads over WSOP.com. And unlike in Nevada, where WSOP’s traffic surge is justified, I have to believe that in New Jersey, players just prefer what WSOP has to offer.

Grade (last review grade in parenthesis): B- (B)

Value/promotions: Suddenly, Party NJ is a player

For the longest time, I was thoroughly unimpressed with NJ PartyPoker’s array of pedestrian promotions.

Augmenting the appeal of the promotion is the fact that the bonus clears at a 50% rakeback rate.

These two facets of the promotion (which apparently is not just a limited time offer) alone automatically vault Party’s new player bonus from bottom feeder to top dog.

The sole drawback of the deposit bonus is that it clears in only four increments, meaning that players attempting to unlock the full $1,000 will have to earn 1,000 loyalty points before they receive a dime. But considering that the bonus never expires, the delay should only impact the most casual players.

Also of Note

Both Party and Borgata have added Sit & Go Leaderboards. From now until August 10, SNG grinders on both sites will be playing for their share of an additional $2,000 in cash per week.

Most of the network’s other promotions are yawn-worthy, with perhaps the sole exception being Borgata’s The Grind – and even that only awards the most committed players with anything resembling serious cashback.

Speaking of, when it comes to rakeback, both Party and Borgata player loyalty programs are severely lacking. At best, top tier players on Borgata can convert their accumulated points into a 15 percent cashback bonus or a paltry 5.3 percent direct conversion.

The situation on Party is even worse, as Palladium Elite (the site’s top tier) members are only entitled to a 10 percent cashback bonus. That’s atrocious.

However, given the sudden commonality of overlays and the restructuring of the network’s SNG fees, there is significantly more value to be had playing non-cash formats on Party / Borgata than just a few weeks prior.

Software: Better, but Party / Borgata’s client still irksome

Give Party NJ points for finally allowing players to view individual ring game tables, and for granting them the ability to view pertinent table stats. Take away those same points for not adding what is seemingly a trivial feature – wait lists.

But the fact remains that for the most part, Party’s client favors glitz over functionality, and that’s a problem.

Loading times are still in the 15-second range. Strong authentication codes can take upwards of five minutes to hit my inbox (if they hit at all). Additionally, half of the client’s promotional links are broken and I still have to hold my breath every time I jump from one menu tab to another.

But it looks great!

Furthermore, the notifications tab is still a mess. OftentimesI’m informed that I met an achievement “Moments Ago” when in fact it happened in January.

Software and geo-location crashes are fewer and farther between, but still tend to occur during the most inopportune times.

Overall, Party’s client is like a painting of the 19th-century Impressionism style. It looks great from a distance, but its ugliness is revealed upon closer examination.

Grade: C (C-)

Customer Service: The company is always right

Before delving into how deficient and detached Party’s customer service continues to be, let’s focus on the positives:

Party continues to incorporate player suggestions into their poker offering, resulting in a vastly improved NJCOP schedule, an overall better daily tournament roll-out, and fairer SNG payout tables.

Live chat and phone queue times are shorter and more in line with what the system predicts, although I suspect this has more to do with the network’s decreased traffic than anything else.

Party_Rep, the network’s dedicated Two Plus Two forum go-to, is a bit more responsive.

I have two major problems with Party’s customer service team:

Their complete unwillingness to acknowledge fault.

Their inability to answer all but the most rudimentary questions without escalating the issue to another department.

Furthermore, software upgrades are often implemented without corresponding patch notes, leaving players high and dry as to what was actually improved.

And worst of all, the network takes an exceedingly cold, “sorry, we can’t help you” attitude toward any issue where they believe they’re not at fault. One needn’t look further than the recent $50k Guaranteed debacle to see that.

Other player concerns get addressed via makeshift solutions that impede players willingness to continue using the site.

In short, I’m of the mind that Party’s wayward communication and poor solutions are the primary reason why it continues to lose customers.

Based on the merits of the few things they’ve done right, I’ll award them a passing grade, but only by the slimmest of margins.

Grade: D-(F)

Overall: Gradual improvement is better than no improvement

Compared to late-April, NJ Party Poker has done just enough to move up a half-letter grade.

Its software and customer service are still a far cry from what they were in the pre-UIGEA days, but its aggressive promotional schedule and improved cash-game lobby are worthy of praise, as is its partial recognition of player requests.

NJ.PartyPoker.com and BorgataPoker.com comprise the same network and share liquidity across most games formats. As such, they are treated as one entity, except where otherwise noted.

Traffic: Party / Borgata sustains staggering losses

Cash-game traffic on Party Poker NJ is down nearly 30 percent over the past six weeks, with the average number of players online during peak hours down from approximately 1500 last month to 1100 – 1300 in April.

Players can expect to find anywhere from 80 – 90 cash game tables running on weeknights, most of the NLHE variety. Stakes range from $.01 / $.02 to $25 / $50 with the majority of active tables featuring blinds in the $.50 / $1 to $2 / $4 area.

As a mode of comparison, six weeks ago it wasn’t uncommon to find over 100 concurrent cash games running. But the last time I’ve seen Party NJ reached the century mark was minutes before it awarded the grand prize for its 30,000,000th hand promo.

Sit & Go volume is also down, with an average of 30 low-to-mid stakes 6-max games running at peak hours, as compared to over 50 two months prior.

For the most part, Party’s daily tournaments meet or exceed their guarantees, but overall, entry numbers into the network’s biggest weekly event – the $50k guarantee – is trending downward.

There are a multitude of speculative reasons as to why Party / Borgata stomached such significant traffic losses, but suffice to say, the network’s biggest issues can be at least partially attributed to laziness. More on this later.

Despite all this, Party / Borgata still boasts the highest traffic and market share of any NJ-based poker site, and that’s still worth something.

Grade (last review grade in parenthesis): B (A-)

Value/promotions: Party NJ boasts big top prizes, little else

In terms of final table payouts, Party / Borgata boasts the largest weekly prizes, with at least one player walking away with a $10,000 payday each week. That being said, their tournament payout structures are still flatter than what most regulars would like to see.

Party’s high player volume functions as a double-edged sword. The network rarely fails to meet the guarantees for its daily tournaments. That’s normally a good thing, but considering that almost every other NJ site is forced to lay money out of their own pockets, it lessens the overall value to be had by playing in a Party NJ tournament.

That wouldn’t be so bad if Party / Borgata did anything to differentiate itself from the pack in terms of player kickbacks. But for the most part, the network’s promotions are unimaginative in nature.

Borgata offers a $600 first-time deposit match bonus, which is leaps and bounds better than Party’s own paltry $100 new player bonus. Most of the network’s other promotions come off as contrived and underwhelming.

Both Party and Borgata should be recognized for their recent efforts to bridge the gap between themselves and the Borgata’s brick and mortar casino via cross-promotional tournaments. And the upcoming NJCOP should provide a much-needed boost to network traffic, if not the entire state’s iGaming market.

Yet, it’s difficult to look past the network’s high rake/entry fees, and low rakeback bonus structure (15 percent at highest tier on Borgata, 10 on Party), and assert with confidence that the network offers good player value. It doesn’t.

And the introduction of new features that only affect hardcore players, such as Party’s Paladium Lounge, does little to rectify the underlying issue.

Grade: Party C (B-), Borgata: C+ (B)

Software: Technical issues abound on Party / Borgata

The worthiness of a gaming site should be determined by its ability to provide a exemplary playing experience, not its looks.

There’s no denying that Party Poker NJ and its sister site are both modernistic and sexy, but beneath the surface lies the ugly truth – Party’s software is a riddle of bugs and non-optimized code.

It’s utterly confounding how, despite markedly lower traffic, the software continues to suffer from a variety of crippling issues. Just to name a few:

Loading times on faster computers exceed 20 seconds, and that’s if the program loads at all. Client hangups often force players to reopen the log in screen.

The Friends tab is prone to load inaccurate data from months prior.

Sub-menus often fail to properly display graphics.

No table selection. I realize this is by design, but it’s been one of the most persistent complaints among regular players.

Like most, I initially marveled at Party’s redesign. But now that its underlying ugliness has been unveiled, I marvel no more.

Grade: C- (B-)

Customer service: They can’t even spell P-O-K-E-R

If I were to apply the age old adage “if you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all” to Party NJ’s customer service team, this section would be devoid of words.

Slow, uninformed, and curt, the team’s most glaring flaw is its lack of empathy. Player concerns are often brushed aside, even those worthy of being addressed.

For instance, several individuals in my inner poker circle called in to inquire as to why their match bonuses expired. After waiting an exorbitant amount of time to be connected to an operator, they were abruptly informed that the bonus expires after a mere two weeks.

Generally speaking, I’m a staunch advocate of reading the fine print, especially when it comes to poker promotions. But Party’s reps should at least have the common courtesy not to direct blame toward its customers, which is exactly what happened. “You should have known better” is not an appropriate response.

Even worse, the network’s representatives possess little knowledge of poker. One would think that a working knowledge of the game would be a prerequisite for serving as an agent for an online poker site.

Factor in the hour-long wait times and frequent issue escalations, and it becomes clear that Party’s customer service is hardly worthy of a passing grade.

Grade: F (D-)

Overall: Party must go back to its roots

There’s a reason why Party Poker was once the number one poker network in the United States, and it had little to do with its special events. Should the network continue to ignore the underlying issues with its software, tournament schedule and customer service team, I would expect traffic numbers to fall off into the abyss.

As the most recognizable poker brand and brick and mortar casino in NJ, the Borgata, in accordance with its online poker partner bwin.party, needs to set the standard to which all other poker sites aspire, and fast.

For the purposes of this review we’ll group together PartyPoker and BorgataPoker.com, as they share the same interface, player base and weekly tournament schedule.

Promotions vary between the two partners, but not so much that the sites would benefit from being viewed as two separate entities.

Traffic: The numbers don’t lie, Party / Borgata still reigns supreme

Fans of PokerStars will be disappointed to know that tournament and cash game turnouts on PartyPoker pale in comparison to their pre-Black Friday counterparts. Given New Jersey’s relatively small population compared with the majority of the free world, that’s to be expected.

That being said, Party still brings in a decent number of poker enthusiasts, and regularly fulfills its relatively lofty guarantees.

Cash games run 24/7, which can’t be said about most other NJ-based sites, and Sit and Go’s fill up on a somewhat reliable basis.

Peak Weekday Numbers Breakdown

Expect approximately 1200 – 1500 players to be online on any given night.

The majority of cash games are of the NLHE variety. Stakes range from $0.01 / $0.02 up to $5 / $10 and occasionally $25 / $50.

About 70% of cash games are 6-max. The remainder are either full ring or heads-up.

After an early-January peak of 277, 7-day cash game volume averages are at approximately 210 and trending downward.

On any given night over 100 simultaneous cash games will be running, 90% of them NLHE, ~10% PLO and perhaps 1 or 2 7-Stud.

On a side note, on March 2nd the site ran its first $100k Guarantee. Read more about it here.

One point of contention is that Party’s nightly tournament schedule is largely uneven. Most tournaments feature $1-$10 buy-ins, occasionally $20. The next jump up is to $100. What about the mid-stakes players?

Value: Biggest payouts, but lowest equity

Players can expect nearly all of PartyPoker’s guarantees to be met, including those for its higher buy-in tournaments. Overlays are nearly nowhere to be found, SNG fees are on the high side and cash game rakes are not quite offensive.

What that ultimately suggests is that Party boasts bigger prize pools than its competitors, but less value.

In keeping with its casual friendly motif, Party pays out an astounding 20%, or more, of its tournament fields. That’s good news for players satisfied with a min-cash, but terrible for players who rely on their big scores to be, well, big.

That being said, the bar for quality has been set fairly low, especially at the smaller stakes. Players who limp every hand, 10x raises pre-flop – that sort of thing is more common than what I would normally expect.

Then again, some of the same guys that play in my weekly home game did mention that they recently created an online poker account. Names will be held in private.

Promos: Party lags behind some other sites

Party’s promotions are rather lackluster. New depositors are entitled to a measly $100 match bonus, and the newly launched Dream Seat Series is a mere novelty promo.

Perhaps the best thing going for Party right now is its clever Remission Bonus promo, which grants special bonuses to those finally receiving remittance from FTP. Think of it as Party’s way of saying “Regulated poker is good.”

Software and Service: Geolocation somewhat improved, customer service bottoms out

PartyPoker’s sleek, newly redesigned interface looks significantly better than it functions. Latency issues plague the client, graphics sometimes fail to populate correctly and icons often need to be clicked multiple times before a page loads properly.

As far as disconnects due to geolocation issues, they’re noticeably down. Certain players still experience problems, but they’re far less prevalent then they were just a couple of months back.

Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be granted to Party’s customer service department, which is abysmal. It’s bad enough that it takes upwards of an hour to reach someone, but when you finally do, the representative will often tell you how you’re the one causing the issue.

After my first phone session with Party’s representatives I was nearly convinced that someone was playing a cruel joke on me. After my second, I promptly called the state’s DMV and Unemployment offices, thanking them for the “short” wait times.

Live chat isn’t much better, nor are the answers to common questions offered by Party’s representative on its Two Plus Two forum.

But at least when I requested a cash-out by check, it arrived in a very timely fashion. I would have requested an instant e-check, but apparently that’s not allowed unless you already made a deposit via the same method.

Consensus

Party / Borgata are still the go-to sites for players seeking bigger paydays. They’re also far more aesthetically pleasing than any other NJ-based poker site. And SNGs, MTT and cash games can be found with relative ease. Yet its laggy software, poor customer service and pedestrian promotions could be contributing to its steadily declining numbers.

Launching in New Jersey a mere two months after rolling out a major software update, PartyPokertook a huge risk by incorporating a slew of social media and casual-friendly features into its formerly traditional software package.

Largely untested in a “go-live” setting, Party’s revamped software is not without its misgivings but ultimately works, and is in large part the reason behind why its captured approximately 50% of NJ’s iGaming market share. That, and brand recognition of course.

It’s like Facebook, only with poker

Incorporating a friend’s list, news feed and user achievements into its online poker offering, PartyPoker feels more like a juxtaposition between a video game, Facebook and a casual poker app than it does a real-money poker site. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just worth noting.

PartyPoker’s news feed informs you when one of the player’s on your friends list performs a notable feat. For instance, if Player X earns a user achievement , you’ll receive a notification. If he wins a huge pot, the system will tell you just how many big blinds he won. Even if said player enters a tournament, you’ll be the first to know.

As a result, notifications pile up at such a staggering pace that anyone with more than a few friends will probably not bother keeping up with them.

Yet despite all of its social-friendly features, noticeably absent from PartyPoker is the one thing poker players want most: an easy way to see where there friends are playing.

Say my buddy is at the final table of the 50k Guarantee. Outside of scouring my notifications tab, I would have no way of knowing unless he notified me via another means. Even then, I’d have to go to the tournament lobby, search for his name, and click on it to watch him donk off all his chips. It’s hardly an intuitive process.

Missions: Meaningful or gimmickry?

PartyPoker’s missions act as a sort of supplemental player incentive program. By perusing to the site’s “Achievements” tab, players can select from a variety of objective-based assignments. Completing missions, which usually entails meeting three aims, rewards players with entries into freerolls or other special events.

Overall, missions are a novel idea, but the objectives are too easy and the rewards uninspired. There’s only so many $1,000 Giveaway tickets you can win before the allure wears off.

That said, promotional missions are a delight. Featuring harder, time-sensitive objectives and more prestigious rewards, Party’s WPT mission and Borgata’s Mega Missions are tailored more towards the serious poker player, but pose benefits to casuals as well.

For instance, this month players who accumulate a specified number of iRewards points on BorgataPoker.com will be rewarded with tournament tickets and cash bonuses. Broken down into 17 tiers, casuals should have no problem reaching Tier 1 or 2. However, reaching the top tier will be a monumental task for even the most serious grinder.

While Borgata’s promotional mission isn’t the most inventive promotion currently being offered, it rewards players with what they value most: rakeback.

And at the end of the day, missions will be judged not by their objectives, but their rewards.

Software gripes; other issues

Overall, PartyPoker’s new user interface is a refreshing change of pace. Due to its highly visual nature and well-designed main menu, browsing the site is never a chore. Overall, Party’s site just feels more comprehensive and unified than any of its competitors.

With that said, both NJ.PartyPoker.com and BorgataPoker.com have more than their fair share of software and functionality issues. Some are minor, while others are glaring:

Geolocation: Although not as prevalent as it once was, there should be no excuse for someone using a PC with a stable Internet connection and a wifi adapter to experience any geo-targeting issues. Multiple times, particularly during peak-hours, I’ve experienced random disconnects, causing me to lose valuable chips.

Lag: Navigating between tabs sometimes results in software freezes and other minor glitches. Server lag while playing a single cash game is generally minimal. It rears its ugly head more often when multitabling or foraging through an MTT.

Table selection: By design, Party’s software only allows players to choose their preferred game format and stake – not a specific table. Compounding matters, pertinent table stats such as % of players to the flop and hands per hour are hidden from view.

Other issues include:

Tournament selection: Most tournaments feature buy-ins in the $1 to $20 range. From there, the price of admission jumps to $100+. Party would do well to incorporate more mid-stakes buy-in tournaments into its available offerings. Compounding matters, PartyPoker is notorious for canceling its guarantees without notification.

Rake: Party’s rake is higher than any other New Jersey poker site ($0.01 for every $0.18 in the pot – capped according to stake).

VIP Rewards: Rakeback on BorgataPoker.com caps out at 15%; NJ.PartyPoker.com at 16%. But what’s worse is that your online VIP status has no bearing on your Borgata My Rewards tier.

Customer service: Right now, it’s less than abysmal. Hotline wait times of over an hour are commonplace. Players lucky enough to get through to someone often find that their question has to be forwarded or escalated to another department.

The Bottom Line

Issues aside, the marriage of the Borgata and bwin.party has proven largely successful. It’s the only site that gets off Sit & Gos on a regular basis, its Sunday majors are well-structured (even if they should start earlier) and its software, while not perfect, is probably the most stable of any NJ iGaming site. Party also offers more legitimate depositing methods than most, including Skrill.

For more on NJ.PartyPoker.com, check out its dedicated forum on Two Plus Two.

Robert DellaFave -
Robert DellaFave is a game designer and avid poker player. He writes for several publications centered on legal US online poker and the regulated online gambling industries in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.